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Just one gooey chocolate eclair, just one dash of salt, just one day of skipping a workout... usually, "just one" of anything isn't enough to do you any real damage. But when it comes to cigarettes, "just one" is way too many!
Smoking just one cigarette causes arteries to stiffen by 25 percent. That's bad news bears, because the stiffer the artery, the harder the heart has to work--which means there's a greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
Instant effects
Studies can now measure the immediate changes in our bodies as we smoke a single cigarette, from a rise in blood pressure to a change in the gases in our blood stream.
Here's what happens when we smoke a cigarette:
A recent review of several studies found that light smoking was connected to a host of other illnesses: cataracts, reduced fertility, an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy (where the pregnancy develops outside the uterus) and weak bones.
Get this: Some 7,000 chemicals and toxins will still be attacking your body for up to 8 hours after your last puff, and a smear of gooey brown tar will be left in your lungs forever. Even worse, as your levels of dopamine plummet back to normal after smoking, your body will crave another nicotine high – even if you’re not aware of it. If you give in, you’ll be mentally hooked, which is how smoking becomes an addiction. Bottom line: Experts say that nicotine in cigarettes is just as addictive as heroin – even if you have just one smoke.
Recent changes in the design and ingredients in cigarettes have made them more likely to hook first-time users and keep older smokers coming back.
Changes include:
•Ammonia added to tobacco, which converts nicotine into a form that gets to the brain faster.
•Filter holes that allow people to inhale smoke more deeply into the lungs.
•Sugar and "moisture enhancers" to reduce the burning sensation of smoking, making it more pleasant, especially for new cigarette users.
One-third of the patients who are in the hospital today are there because of cigarettes.
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